Fishing in the Dark...

I never thought I’d spend some substantial money to fly to Nashville, drive to Florida, rent a condo 150 yards from the beach and be glad to see it... rain. But that’s exactly what has happened so far on this trip.

It’s all good though; the weather is supposed to get much better in the next few days and at least it’s still warm. Of course even if it does quit raining, I’m not even sure Bob and I will be able to tell because it is so humid here that we never feel like we’re completely dry. Great place to visit, but I can assure you, we will be back.

It’s been great to spend time with my genetic family because it’s something it’s so hard to get us all together anyplace. It’s a great bunch and I always tell everyone at home that if they think I’m crazy, they oughta meet the rest of this bunch--and that is NOT an exaggeration!

It’s amazing how priorities change over the course of a life. There was a day when driving to Denver and getting on a plane to anyplace was exciting and something I looked forward to greatly. Now to be clear here--I do love being at the destination, but frankly, traveling isn’t really the thrill it used to be. And that’s just for getting me somewhere. Add a husband that hasn’t done near the airline traveling that I have and you have a recipe for...well, I guess staying home.

With increased fuel costs, airlines have decreased the number of flights. That translates to DO NOT miss your flight because getting another one could be a real challenge. And no, we didn’t miss our flight but I could tell by the number of people in DIA last Wednesday that it could have made things pretty miserable if we had.

I don’t really know how to explain it but Bob just isn’t really savvy on the whole airport/flying thing. That may sound a little harsh but I don’t mean it to be that way really. It’s just that he just hasn’t done it a lot and it is kind of a process to learn.

Throw in an iphone and an ipad and be prepared to listen to a lot of “now what’s wrong with this thing” and a few other assorted phrases which we will not be quoting verbatim here.

Actually, his frustrations aren’t all that far off of mine at times. I’m finding as I age that I’m not as willing to learn how to do new things if the old way works.

One thing that’s become very obvious to me this trip is that we really do live a very laid-back lifestyle compared to what I’ve been in this past week. Yes--it is fun to visit big places and there are certainly things to do there that you can’t five miles north of Guernsey, Wyoming. But you know, there are things you can do five miles north of Guernsey, Wyoming that you sure can’t do on 16th Avenue in Nashville either.

In our case at least, I think I know why it’s so easy to stay home. We’ve both lived long enough to have our family raised and done a lot of things we’ve wanted--even had a few bucket list experiences. But we’ve reached a stage where we both feel like we have what we want and I can tell you first-hand there is a lot of satisfaction and comfort in that feeling.

I find myself thinking that if I didn’t get one more thing, I could walk away and still feel fine. Oh sure, there are always things to want but it is no longer that feeling of “it has to happen or life just won’t work.”

I got a big reminder just before we left Nashville (where one of my sisters lives) about just how good my life really is. My sister has a good friend whose husband has Alzheimer’s. He is in his mid-sixties and has had the disease since 2004 or so. It has been a very long journey for her and her family. After listening to her tell us a portion of her situation the other day, it made me realize that we are indeed blessed. This woman’s life and her family’s lives have been turned upside down dealing with this. They’ve had to watch a man who went from being the nicest guy you could want to know and was on top of his game in his career slowly disintegrate before their very eyes. Subtle at first, this disease robs people of their lives and even their dignity. It was hard to sit and listen to what she’s been through. It was hard to not feel guilty about trying to understand what that could be like and be glad I really don’t know.

But in the very short half hour that she talked about the situation with us, I gained a deep respect for her and what she’s been able to handle. As she talked about the things she’s had to do just to keep him safe in his own home, I could barely imagine what that must feel like. I came away with a much deeper appreciation for the healthy and happy lives Bob and I have been allowed to lead.

I think the next time I’m inclined to complain about something he did or said that I find a little coarse, there’s a very good chance that a mental image of what she described to us may just make those things a little smoother.

We won’t be home until the 10th but if you need something in the paper, just e-mail it to me at the address by my picture on page 7 and I’ll see that it gets in.

I would imagine those organizing the school carnival for Halloween would love to have plenty of help and volunteers this year with games for the kids. NOW is the time to get your organization or group thinking about something you could offer to keep our carnival the best option for our kids that evening. Treat Street has been a wonderful addition and it allows families to trick-or-treat together in the daytime and everyone really gets a great look at all the costumes. We’ve even got some parents and adults that are good sports and dress up too and that makes it even more special for the kids.

Don’t forget our booster club--they really could use some more members to help.

Gotta go get my beach towel ready--I hear it’s supposed to be sunny tomorrow! And rain or shine, be good to each other.